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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
March 6, 2026 | 2:43pm
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will travel to the United Nations headquarters in New York on March 9 and 10 to call for peace in the Middle East and drum up support for the Philippines' bid for a seat on the UN Security Council, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday, March 6.
The trip comes as coordinated US and Israeli military strikes on Iran and ensuing Iranian counter-strikes have plunged the region into its most serious open conflict in years. At least two million Filipinos reside or work in the Middle East.
DFA Spokesperson Angelica Escalona told reporters the UN was "the most appropriate venue" for Marcos to advocate for peace and the safety of all civilians, especially Filipinos, amid the conflict.
"The president will offer a voice from our region, from developing countries, and call for restraint, respect for international law including the UN Charter and humanitarian law, and for all concerned to return to the negotiating table for peace," Escalona said in Filipino.
Marcos is set to meet UN Secretary General António Guterres to discuss the Middle East situation and reaffirm Manila's commitment to multilateralism, Escalona said.
Asked whether the president would hold bilateral meetings with other world leaders — including US President Donald Trump — Escalona said none were scheduled beyond the Guterres sit-down.
She also said there would be no meeting with the Filipino community in New York.
When asked on whether Marcos would raise concerns about the South China Sea or regional security, Escalona said she could not preempt the president's remarks but acknowledged that "international developments, regional developments" and issues affecting Filipinos would be part of the discussions.
Marcos will address two UN sessions: the 70th Commission on the Status of Women, where he will highlight the Philippines' efforts to protect the rights and well-being of women and girls, and a special session of the UN General Assembly.
At the General Assembly, the president will make the case for the Philippines to secure a non-permanent Security Council seat for 2027 to 2028. The election is set for the 80th session of the General Assembly in June 2026. The Philippines last held a non-permanent seat in 2004 to 2005 and has served on the council four times since 1957.
Escalona said a council seat would give the country a voice on global safety and security issues with direct implications for Philippine sovereignty, maritime security, the global economy, and the welfare of overseas Filipino workers.
On Trump's invitation for the Philippines to join his Board of Peace — a US-initiated body aimed at Gaza reconstruction — Escalona said Manila was still studying the proposal.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said last month that Trump had sent a personal letter to Marcos, but that Manila was still assessing what kind of commitment was being asked of it.
Marcos will be accompanied by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, Presidential Adviser on Peace Carlito Galvez Jr. and Acting Presidential Communications Office Secretary Dave Gomez.
The visit will take place against the backdrop of a rapidly widening war that has already drawn expressions of concern and demands for restraint, including from the Philippines. The joint US-Israeli campaign began on February 28 with strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior military figures.
Iran has retaliated with missiles and drones targeting Israel, US bases in the Gulf, and threatened global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The DFA estimates 2.4 million Filipinos live and work across the Middle East, and the government has confirmed one Filipino death — Mary Anne Velasquez De Vera, a 32-year-old caregiver from Pangasinan, killed by shrapnel from an Iranian missile strike in Tel Aviv, Israel on February 28.
As of Tuesday, some 1,400 OFWs had requested repatriation, but arranging flights for their return to the Philippines has become more complicated amid shuttered airspace across the region. A first batch of 299 Filipinos from Dubai arrived in Manila early Thursday.
